Hi, my name is George McElroy and I like to paint. In fact my passion is a little more than just “likes to paint”, but keep reading and you can make up your own mind.
My need to create art was fuelled from a young age. Growing up, you could say we were one of the poorer families in the area, but we had a lot of love and that makes for a richer, fuller and vibrant life. From my earliest memories I was always encouraged to draw. In fact I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have a pencil in my hand. My aunt, the late Ruth Epps, renowned local artist of Kyneton Victoria, was and still is one of my greatest inspirations. She helped fuel my passion for oil painting with little bits of advice, how to produce different styles using slightly different techniques, how to capture light and movement and most importantly gave me encouragement and support to grow my “like” into a “love” over the years.
It’s a well known fact that every artist is their own worst critic but because of the help and support of my very patient and supportive partner Helen, I am now putting my work out for all to see. The results to date have been outstanding and I am securing regular exhibitions and commissions. It’s amazing how far a little love and encouragement can take you.
A bit like my life, my artworks don’t stick to one theme in general; I like to try a bit of everything. Therefore I have a wide range of works in a variety of different mediums. My personal favourite aspect of my works is creating portraits. In portraiture, I love working with both people and animals and as the work evolves I like to build a picture of who this person or animal really is in my mind. This is then captured on the canvas, a reflection of the person and their life.
I like to break tradition in my style, my technique and in the mediums I use. I don’t name my works because I feel you should be able to look at it and know what it is. However, the above mentioned loving partner Helen, well, she can’t help herself, and you will see every painting now has its own title.
I grew up surrounded by love and encouragement and I surround myself with that today. I’m a richer person for my upbringing and I’m a richer person for those who are around me today. There aren’t too many other blokes who can say they get to do what they “love” every day.
Just try stopping me!
